Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg To Headline SIGGRAPH 50th Edition

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang and Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will headline a high-profile public fireside chat on July 29 at the 50th SIGGRAPH graphics conference in Denver. They will talk about AI and simulation in the future, highlighting the importance of research at SIGGRAPH, a conference that focuses on examining the intersection of technology and graphics.

Pre-event Discussions and Conference Highlights

Prior to this discussion, Huang will engage in another fireside chat with Lauren Goode, a senior writer at WIRED. The session will explore how AI affects graphics and how important it is to the upcoming computing revolution. Both conversations will be streamed live and available for replay on NVIDIA's website.

SIGGRAPH's Legacy of Innovation

Running from July 28 to August 1, SIGGRAPH 2024 continues its tradition of technological innovation. With nearly 100 exhibitors, the event showcases the future of graphics. Attendees in the Innovation Zone will meet startups leading in computing and graphics, guided by insights from industry leaders like Jensen Huang.

The conference, established in 1974 in Boulder, Colorado, has consistently been at the cutting edge of computer graphics. Historically, the conference has showcased groundbreaking developments such as the "Aspen Movie Map," a precursor to Google Street View, and Pixar's "Luxo Jr.," which significantly advanced animation techniques.

SIGGRAPH has also been the launchpad for influential research, including Ed Catmull's work on texture mapping, Turner Whitted's ray-tracing techniques, and James T. Kajiya's "The Rendering Equation".

Cutting-edge Startups and Technological Advances

This year, SIGGRAPH will spotlight nearly 100 exhibitors demonstrating the future of graphics. In the Innovation Zone, over a dozen startups will present their advancements in diverse fields. For instance, Tomorrow.io is utilizing NVIDIA Earth-2 for advanced weather forecasting and climate adaptation, while Looking Glass is advancing holographic technology to enable immersive 3D experiences without the need for headsets, powered by NVIDIA RTX 6000 GPUs and Maxine technology. 

Manufacturing startup nTop has developed a cutting-edge computer-aided design tool that leverages NVIDIA GPU-powered signed distance fields and the NVIDIA OptiX rendering engine for real-time, high-fidelity visualization and collaboration.

Generative AI Day

Another major area of interest will be generative AI. On July 31, the Colorado Convention Center will host Generative AI Day, where industry leaders and developers will explore cutting-edge solutions in visual effects, animation, and game development. Participating businesses, including Bria AI, Cuebric, Getty Images, Replikant, and Shutterstock, will highlight how generative AI is affecting professional graphics.

Notable Speakers and Awards

Beyond Huang and Mark Zuckerberg, the conference will feature notable figures such as Dava Newman from the MIT Media Lab and Mark Sagar from Soul Machines. They will explore the intersections of bioengineering, design, and digital humans.

In tribute to SIGGRAPH's legacy, the inaugural Steven Parker Award will be presented to honor Steven Parker, NVIDIA's former vice president of professional graphics. Parker's pioneering contributions to interactive ray tracing and computer graphics have left a lasting impact on the field.

Stay tuned to witness why SIGGRAPH remains a leader in showcasing and shaping the future of technology as we bring more news from Denver.